College of Business alumni receive AICPA Elijah Watt Sells Award

June 27, 2018

Two Georgia Southern University College of Business alumni received the 2017 Elijah Watt Sells Award from the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) for their performance on the CPA Exam. Candidates are eligible for the award during the calendar year in which they complete the CPA Exam.

Christopher Groll (’16), a finance alumnus employed by KPMG in Atlanta, and Linette Rousseau (’16), a Master’s of Accounting alumna employed with University of Wisconsin-Madison were among 58 CPA candidates who received the award.

To be considered, candidates must have obtained a cumulative average score above 95.5 across all four sections of the CPA Exam, passed all four sections of the examination on their first attempt and completed testing in 2017. A total of 95,858 individuals sat for the examination in 2017.

“The CPA Exam protects the public interest by ensuring, along with education and experience requirements, that only qualified individuals are able to become licensed as Certified Public Accountants,” said Mike Decker, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants vice president of examinations. “Passing the Exam is a career milestone. And the extraordinary performance of this year’s Sells Award winners is truly an impressive accomplishment.”

The Elijah Watt Sells Award program was established by the AICPA in 1923 to recognize outstanding performance on the CPA Examination. Sells, one of the first CPAs in the U.S., was active in the establishment of the AICPA and played a key role advancing professional education within the profession.

“The School of Accountancy has set as a core principle to support the highest level of professional credentialing for our students,” stated Tim Pearson, Ph.D., director of the Georgia Southern University School of Accountancy. “Our CPA exam pass rate continues to exceed the national average, and we have some very strong students perform exceptionally well on the exam.”

About the American Institute of CPAs

The AICPA is the world’s largest member association representing the CPA profession, with more than 431,000 members in 137 countries and territories, and a history of serving the public interest since 1887. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education and consulting. The AICPA sets ethical standards for its members and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, nonprofit organizations, and federal, state and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination, offers specialized credentials, builds the pipeline of future talent and drives professional competency development to advance the vitality, relevance and quality of the profession. The AICPA maintains offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Durham, North Carolina, and Ewing, New Jersey.

About the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants

The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association) is the most influential body of professional accountants, combining the strengths of the AICPA and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) to power opportunity, trust and prosperity for people, businesses and economies worldwide. It represents 667,000 members and students across 184 countries and territories in public and management accounting and advocates for the public interest and business sustainability on current and emerging issues. With broad reach, rigor and resources, the Association advances the reputation, employability and quality of CPAs, CGMAs and accounting and finance professionals globally.